


Baccanronpa!

by Ricky B (littletoes101)



Category: Baccano!, Dangan Ronpa
Genre: F/M, I'm Serious, M/M, also homosexuals, and betrayal, because pretty much all of them die, do not read if you're faint hearted, i am not responsible for any tears, lots of death, or deaths, or if you love any of the characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-04
Updated: 2014-01-17
Packaged: 2017-12-22 10:33:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/912176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littletoes101/pseuds/Ricky%20B
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a spin-off of Dangan Ronpa, twenty-one of the immortals are trapped inside of an abandoned academy called Hope's Peak, courtesy of Fermet. The only way to escape this prison is to kill someone, which is something that most of them have no problem with, but it comes with a twist; you can't get caught. Warnings for graphic depictions of violence and major character death.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Lebreau Fermet Viralesque's Game

Once upon a time, in the year two thousand and one, a man named Lebreau Fermet Viralesque was bored. And, of course, when the man named Lebreau Fermet Viralesque was bored, bad things tended to happen. For, by every definition of the word, Fermet was an evil man.

And so, influenced by a story that he had heard of, Fermet drugged, deceived, and kidnapped twenty-one immortals, dropping them in an impenetrable, abandoned academy called Hope's Peak. And there, watching from his seat in the principal's office, surrounded by the television screens that were connected to the hundreds of security cameras he had installed around the area, as his victims slowly woke from their drugged slumber.

Soon, the game would begin.

The game in which only one person would survive.

Lebreau Fermet Viralesque's game.

 


	2. The Rules of the Game

When Luck finally woke from possibly the heaviest sleep that he'd ever had (which was saying a lot, considering how heavily he usually slept), he realized that he was not at the Gandor apartment. He was, actually, lying in what looked like a living room of sorts; he was on the couch, and there were two other couches beside the one he was sitting in, along with a nice-looking television. Deciding to ignore it for now, Luck sat up, rubbing a hand over his eyes and swinging his legs off the side of the couch. Where in the hell was he?

Getting to his feet, Luck looked for an exit to the room, trying to remember anything that might tell him where he was. He only found one door and a barred window, and the door was heavy and metal and locked up like a prison door. In a futile attempt to escape or be let out, Luck banged on the door a few times, before deciding that it wasn't worth wasting his energy on as he continued to snoop around the room to search for an exit. The last thing he could remember was passing out at the table where the Gandors frequently played cards, and Luck huffed as he carefully preened his hair, roughed up from him having slept with his arms over his head and face.

Once he'd finished his meticulous grooming, Luck set about pacing the room again like a caged tiger, slightly annoyed and frustrated with the predicament. Why was he here? Where _was_ he? And where were his brothers? Were they here too? They weren't in the room, Luck had checked every inch of the room he was in. There was only this one room, no others, and he seemed to be alone. He couldn't see or hear anyone else.

Suddenly, there was the sound of loud ringing, and Luck jumped, startled. With the clattering and clanging of metal, the heavy door unlocked and slid open, probably powered by some kind of remote control. Luck hesitated, not daring to cross over the threshold of the door just yet. What if it was some kind of trap? What, or who, would he be meeting on the other side of this door?

“ _Please proceed into the door at the end of this hallway_ ,” a robotic voice commanded over the loudspeaker, and Luck almost jumped again. He managed to keep his composure, though, and he finally stepped out of the door and into the hallway. Almost immediately, the heavy metal door clanged shut behind him, and Luck looked off down the hallway. There was a pair of large steel doors, and Luck furrowed his eyebrows as he slowly made his way down the hallway. What choice did he have? Those were the only doors that were there, besides the one to the room he'd been in that was now sealed shut. Tightening his jaw and squaring his shoulders, Luck put one of his palms on the cold steel, his eyes narrowing. Whatever, or whoever, was on the other side of these doors, he could face, he told himself. And, with that in mind, he pushed the two doors open wide to let himself in.

On the other side of the door, there were at least twenty other people gathered in a gym of sorts, and many of them were familiar faces. The first one who rushed up to greet him was Claire, grabbing him in his iron vice grip and swinging him around. Luck hissed in his displeasure, pushing against Claire's chest feebly with the palms of his hands. Chane stood not too far behind him, one of her hunting knives clutched in her gloved hand as she held it by her hip.

“Lucky!” Claire exclaimed, finally setting his brother back on the ground.

“ _Claire_ ,” Luck hissed in reply, smoothing out the wrinkles in his clothes that Claire had created from handling him so carelessly. “I thought I told you not to do that anymore.”

“What, I can't be happy to see ya'?” Claire asked, throwing an arm around Luck's shoulder as he gave a goofy smile. Luck gave him a cold stare, but the tiniest of smiles prickled at the edges of his mouth. His face retained its usual emotionless gaze as he looked around the room, taking in its inhabitants.

In one corner of the gym were Isaac, Miria, Firo, and Ennis. Isaac, Miria, and Firo seemed to be busying themselves with playing with a stray ball they'd found, making the best out of the seemingly bleak situation as Ennis watched quietly.

Luck recognized another man from pictures and descriptions from Firo as Ladd Russo, a man that he'd gone to prison with, and he was roughing around with a long-haired blonde that he didn't recognize. There was also a brown-haired man wearing a hat that he wasn't familiar with who was watching the scene play out with disdain, and he reminded Luck a bit of Ennis as he watched the two blondes go at it. Standing a bit behind the blonde man was a darker, honey-blonde haired woman with sad-looking blue-green eyes, her hands clasped almost nervously in front of her. Luck raised one eyebrow slowly, but looked away.

His eyes slowly wandered across the gym, and he met an all-too familiar face in that of Dallas, who was sitting boredly on the floor, and Eve, who was standing in front of him, speaking too softly for Luck to hear. He decided to ignore them for the time being, figuring that, if they were here, they probably didn't have anything to do with the situation they were in.

The next people he spied was a trembling, brown-haired boy with a sword tattoo on his face who he recognized as Jacuzzi Splot, and a scarred, eyepatch wearing blonde girl who stood beside him, rubbing his hand and trying to calm the sniffling boy. Of all of them, he appeared to be the most terrified.

Standing not too far away was a refreshing sight; the tall, kindly Maiza, with little Czeslaw at his side, gripping his hand nervously. Also standing beside him was a pretty silver-white haired woman that Luck was sure he'd never seen before, her violet eyes turned towards Maiza and Czeslaw, a small frown on her lips.

Luck only managed to catch a glimpse of the raven-haired man behind them, but he recognized him instantly as Huey Laforet, a notorious terrorist who had apparently been in the same prison as Firo all those years ago. His eyes narrowed again, one hand twirling a button on his jacket slowly. Was it possible he was the mastermind behind this? Luck kept it in mind as the man seemingly disappeared.

Just as Luck's mind was wandering, thinking about his two missing brothers, he got a hearty slap on the back (and all of the wind knocked out of him), and he doubled over, gasping. There was a familiar deep laughter behind him, and he turned, looking up into Berga's playful face.

“What took ya' so long?” He asked, and Luck managed to take a few deep breaths before standing up fully. This earned Berga a cold stare from Keith, who'd now appeared at his side with his arms folded across his chest, face in his signature emotionless frown.

“...I was in a locked room. Weren't you all?” Luck asked, rubbing his back painfully. “I couldn't have come earlier even if I wanted to. And I looked for a way out.”

The biggest Gandor just shrugged nonchalantly. “Mine was unlocked when I woke up. Where are we, anyway?”

“That's what I've been trying to figure out,” Luck replied, checking the gym floor for anything, a symbol, perhaps, that might tell them what was going on. That's when he spotted it; the emblem in the middle of the floor. It was one of a mountain, the text below it reading “Hope's Peak Academy”.

 _Hope's Peak Academy?_ Luck's brow furrowed. A school? What were they doing at a school? Sure, perhaps some of them were young enough to pass as students, but Luck didn't remember signing up for any schools. What was going on here?

Just as he was turning to relay this discovery to his brothers, a voice came over the loudspeakers again.

“Hello students, may I have your attention please, I repeat, may I have your attention please?” Their attentions snapped like dogs to where the voice was coming from. Sitting on top of a podium, placed on a stage at the back (front? He couldn't tell) of the gym was a long-haired blonde man, with thick bangs that covered his eyes and a chilling smile on his lips. For some reason he couldn't pinpoint, this man terrified him, and Luck felt the muscles in his jaw tighten instinctively.

“Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy, where you'll be spending the rest of your days!”

 _The rest of your days?_ What in the hell was going on here? Luck couldn't find it in him to say anything, though, so he remained silent as the frightening man continued talking.

“My name is Lebreau Fermet Viralesque, and I am the principal of this lovely academy. As you most definitely do not know, you all have been chosen for a very special purpose, to be the first students to this school!” The man Fermet clapped enthusiastically, but he only got angry glares and confused stares in response. “As I said before, this is where you'll be spending the rest of your days, unless you can graduate, of course.”

“And what, exactly, do you have to do to graduate?” Ennis spoke up from the other side of the room, and Fermet's grin widened.

“Well, here's a clue; only someone who kills another student inside these walls will be able to graduate!”

Was this some kind of sick joke? Of course, if he had to, Luck had no quarrels with picking someone here to kill off. He would never touch one of his friends, of course, but not everyone here he knew. Still...

“Wait, we're immortal, aren't we?” Firo asked. “How're we supposed to kill each other if we don't stay dead?”

“Do you think I'm stupid? I've taken away your regenerative powers,” Fermet said. “You won't age, but if you die, well...you're dead.”

“There's a catch, isn't there?” Luck's attention went over to one corner of the gym, where Huey had finally chosen to reveal himself, eyes half-narrowed in Fermet's direction. “There's always a catch with you.” By his choice of words, Luck could tell that Huey _knew_ Fermet, and he didn't know if that made him feel better or worse. He'd find out.

“Oh yes, did you think that killing another student is the only thing you have to do? Naturally, there has to be more, or else it wouldn't be much of a challenge, now would it?” Fermet paused to laugh, a chilling, terrible laugh, before continuing. “The particulars are a bit...confusing, though, so I won't bother you with them until after the first murder is committed!”

He seemed to be very certain about the murders, at least, but what made Fermet think that they'd be reduced to killing each other? Of course, it was true that not all of them were on the best of terms, but...

“You'll find that I've taken all of your electronics, except, of course, the student handbook that you've been equipped with. Because, I don't want you thinking about trying to get anyone to help you escape.” Fermet's voice dropped from its previously cheerful tune to a much darker tone, and it made Luck stiffen. What was he even trying to do? Luck watched as a few of the others frantically searched their persons, and listened to the sounds of muffled cursing and hissing as they found Fermet's statement to be true. “And don't worry; no one on the outside world knows about your disappearances. They won't be missing you, so there will be no reason for them to go to the police, or anyone else who might want to ruin our little game.”

So that's what this was? A game? A game that would be bloody, ruthless, and violent. Not that Luck wasn't used to those kind of games, though.

“If you have any other questions, I'm sure the student handbook will answer them for you~” Fermet chirped as he jumped from the podium that he'd been sitting on. “I hope that you all will have as much fun playing as I do; though, sadly, I doubt you will.” Fermet gave another terrifying laugh before waving his fingers in a “goodbye”, then disappearing in a puff of gray-white smoke, just as quickly as he'd came, leaving the twenty-one immortals to stand there, numb, in stunned silence.

 


	3. No Way Out

The silence stretched on for a good two minutes, which was almost monumental considering the people that were gathered there. Once they seemed to have gotten over the initial shock of what had just happened, there were a few outraged cries and many jumbled words from the crowd.

“...We're not really gonna _kill_ each other, are we, Lucky?” A voice beside him asked, and Luck turned to look at Firo, who had moved to stand beside him. Out of instinct, Luck shook his head.

“Of course not. At least, I don't plan on killing anyone.” Luck assured him. Although he couldn't speak for anyone else, the stakes were too high for him to consider offing anyone else yet. He didn't trust this Fermet man, and from what he'd seen coming to the gym and looking around the room, there were security cameras everywhere. How did he know that Fermet wouldn't out the killer to everyone else, and have them destroy the killer themselves?

“I guess our first order of business would be to try and find a way out of here first, huh?” Luck stated, lifting one hand to his chin and rubbing gently. It looked as though a few of them had already taken that lead themselves; Claire was already hanging upside-down on the rafters on the ceiling (God only knew how he got up there).

“There's no way out up here,” he called, crossing his arms behind his head in an odd way as he hung. “Unless you're me, of course, and then there's _always_ a way out.”

“How about you come down here and help us look, then?” Berga called up to him, and Claire obeyed, doing a few complicated-looking acrobatics before landing perfectly on the floor, a grin spread across his face.

“Ta-da~” He purred, but the only ones who applauded were Isaac and Miria, predicatively.

And then there was the sound of metal and cracking joints, and the red-head turned to face Ladd, who was using his metal hand to crack the joints in his right. As time had gone on and prosthetic development improved, Ladd's previously uncontrollable metal arm was now fully functional, and his intent was written all over his face.

“Well, well, well, if it isn't _Claire Stanfield_.” Ladd said the name with a sneer, and Luck bristled as he approached his adopted brother. Although he had no doubts that Claire would be able to kill him if needed, this wasn't exactly a good time for that. He wanted to know what would happen if one person were to kill another, but he didn't want his brother to fall prey to whatever Fermet had in store for the perpetrator. “I see you haven't changed a bit, still as fuckin' cocky as ever.”

“It's Felix Walken to you,” Claire replied, a smile still on his face, but his voice dangerously dark. “And I see you haven't changed either. But still, I gotta say, you've got some balls comin' up to challenge me after...well...” He stepped closer to close the gap between them, nodding his head at Ladd's prosthetic. “Though, that ain't really a _good_ thing, in your case.”

Ladd sneered, his eyes narrowing as he put up his fists. “How's about we have a little rematch, right here? If we get it over with maybe I'll be outta here by dinnertime!”

“Wait,” Luck barked, moving to get between the two angry men. “We shouldn't fight amongst each other right now, it's a bad idea.” Ladd turned to face him, his face twisting into a frown.

“What's that? Tryin' to get in the way, huh? Tellin' _me_ , _Ladd Russo_ what's right and wrong?”

Realizing he'd landed himself in hot water, Luck stepped back. “That's not what I—” He was a moment too late, though, and as the bigger man's fist connected with his face, all Luck could see was black.

When he woke, Luck was lying on his back in a bed, on top of all of the covers. His head still hurt like hell, and Luck rubbed at it as he sat up, groaning.

“Um...Mister Luck?” A soft voice said from beside him, and Luck jumped a bit as he turned to face Eve who was sitting beside the bed, hands clasped in front of her worriedly, her eyes wide. She was dressed in a fluffy, expensive-looking white jacket, and a black satin floor-length skirt, and her cross necklace sat on her neck, and she reached up with one of her hands to rub at it. It'd been a long time since they'd talked, and the Gandors and Genoards still weren't on good terms, but the least Luck could do was be polite to her. She looked absolutely terrified, anyway. “Are you alright?”

“I'm fine,” Luck replied, offering a polite smile. “What happened? Where am I?”

“This is your room, everybody has their own room,” Eve said. “The rooms are listed in the electronic handbooks. You were out cold after Mister Russo punched you, so Berga and Claire carried you up to your room. I was worried, so I said I'd stay up here with you.”

“...That's very kind of you,” Luck muttered, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. “Where are the others?”

“Downstairs, in the cafeteria, I think,” Eve murmured, standing up suddenly as Luck did. “Are you sure you can walk on your own, Mister Gandor?”

“Of course, I'm fine now.” Luck wobbled a bit and leaned on the table next to his bedside, taking a few deep breaths and trying to steady himself. There was still a dull, throbbing pain in the front of his skull, but it wasn't that bad. “I'll walk you down to the cafeteria, if you'd like for me to.”

When they arrived downstairs, they noticed that everyone looked a bit less numb and frightened than they did when Fermet first appeared, but they were by no means relaxed. Most of them were sitting in chairs around the long table in the middle of the room. Luck took his place in an empty chair beside Keith, shuffling a bit awkwardly in his seat, and Eve sat next to Dallas, gripping his forearm tightly with her tiny hand.

“This should be everyone, correct?” A heavily French accented voice said from the end of the table. Huey sat there with his legs crossed, leaning back in the chair nonchalantly. “Well, then. Shall we present the fruits of our labor?”

“We searched the place while you were out,” Berga whispered to Luck, and he nodded. He'd figured that they'd probably get to doing that soon. As expected, Isaac was the first to speak.

“Well, Miria and I found the front door, but...”

“It was locked up tight from the outside,” Miria finished sadly.

“I tried kicking it down, but it didn't budge. It was like it was made of iron!”

“Um, Isaac, it _was_ made of iron.”

“Oh, right, I knew that.”

“Firo and I checked out near the back, and we found a staircase leading to a third story,” Ennis said. “But it was blocked off by some metal bars, and we couldn't break them.”

“The private rooms are nice enough, if you can get past the cameras and barred windows,” the silver-haired woman who Luck remembered now as Sylvie murmured. “I would've gone farther, but Maiza found the library.” She glared heavily at Maiza, who grinned sheepishly and rubbed at the back of his head.

“I checked in the kitchen, and it looks like there'll be enough to feed us for a while, and the selection ain't too shabby, either,” Nice chimed in.

“How long is it really gonna last us though, with twenty-one people here?” Luck asked.

“Oh, uh, that Fermet guy came by while I was in there. He said everything was restocked every night.” This statement earned her a few shocked gasps from the others. “After that, he ran off.”

“Dammit,” Ladd snarled, slamming his fist down on the table. “He's the kind of guy I'd really like to kill...”

“You can try, but I doubt you'd get far,” Maiza murmured. “Fermet has been devoured three times and somehow managed to survive.”

“You're kiddin'!” Firo exclaimed, eyes wide.

“I'm afraid not,” Sylvie sighed this time. “He must be truly indestructible.”

“It was useless,” Czeslaw finally whimpered from beside her. “We're...we're stuck here...with _that man_ , and there's no way out.” Tears formed in his eyes, and his small hands clenched into fists. “There's no way out, we'll be here _forever_...”

“Hey, it's alright,” Ennis told him, putting an arm around his shoulders. “It'll be fine. We'll find a way out, Czes.”

“Didn't I tell you? The only way to get out of here is to kill someone.” Everyone's attention snapped to Fermet, who'd suddenly materialized at the end of the table. He laughed, smiling at the others. “And personally, all of your hopeful talk is making me positively ill!”

“You're wrong,” a quiet voice said from across the table. It was Eve, her small hands balled into fists on the table, eyes downcast. “There's always a way out. As long as you have hope, you'll always find the way.”

Luck had to admire her bravery, but Fermet just laughed. “Oh, do you honestly believe that? I feel bad for you, girl. You'll find out soon enough that hope doesn't exist in a place like this, though.” Fermet gave a little wave, and the man disappeared again in a puff of smoke. Eve sniffled, and Dallas grasped one of her hands in his.

“Eve...” He started to say, but she shook her head.

“I...I don't believe it. I can't believe it. There's...got to be a way. A way to survive and get out without dying, or killing someone...”

“You must adapt and overcome,” Huey said again, his arms still folded across his chest. “The ones who survive will not be the smartest, nor the strongest, they will be the ones who can adapt and overcome. Until we can find a way out of here, we'll have to resign ourselves to the idea that we'll be spending the rest of our lives here.”

“Easy for you to say,” Firo muttered, curling his lip.

“For now, I think we should implement one of our own rules, to help everyone...rest easy.”

“A rule?” Luck questioned, raising one eyebrow in curiosity.

“Yes, and it's very simple; no traveling during the nighttime hours. The handbook states that during nighttime hours, from ten P.M. to seven A.M., certain rooms become inaccessible, and the water shuts off. It's the time when we should be sleeping, I suppose. Of course, this rule won't be official, it's up to everyone to uphold it.”

“And what would it accomplish?” Ennis asked, running her fingers through Czes's hair to calm him as she stood behind the boy.

“It would give those of us who are worried a peace of mind, at least while they slept.” Huey reached up to push a few raven locks from his eyes, leaning forward in his chair. “And, of course, if you wanted to travel anywhere during that time, you'd need explicit permission to be able to do so.”

In the end, their rule was agreed upon, and added to the rather short list of rules that they had for this strange place. It wasn't long until ten o' clock came, and Luck locked the door to his room, collapsing onto the bed as he kicked off his shoes and socks. What was he going to do? Luck had been through a lot, what with the profession that he'd gotten himself into, but nothing of this nature. This was way out of his league.

 _Adapt and overcome._ The scientist's words repeated themselves in his head, and Luck sighed, putting his head down on the pillow. Adapt and overcome. He could do that, right? Of course he could.

But could his friends?

Luck tried not to let those thoughts weasel their way into his head, and he pulled the blankets over his head as he fell asleep.

The next few days were spent in almost leisure. Although they continued to search for a way out, there was really nothing to do, and Luck and many of the others were beginning to grow restless and bored. Graham had taken the table in the cafeteria a total of eight times, and he still wasn't satisfied. Isaac and Miria, without anything to steal, became as lazy as cats, lying in the sun and yawning the days away when they weren't busy trying to sneak out through the air ducts. Even Claire had retired to a quiet existence, sometimes doing parkour in the rooms, but that got boring quick. He spent most of his time with Chane now, brushing her hair and acting as her overly affectionate mate.

Then, the morning of the fifth day arrived, and Luck could tell there was something off. As the last few stragglers made their way into the cafeteria for breakfast, Luck's eyes quickly scanned the table, and noticed that there were only twenty of them. His eyebrow twitched.

“This isn't everyone,” Maiza said before Luck could, standing. “Where are Czeslaw and Shaft?” (Luck had learned that Shaft was the brown-haired man who'd been with Graham, Ladd, and his fiancee Lua.)

“Shaft!” Ennis exclaimed as the disheveled man walked into the cafeteria, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand. “Have you seen Czeslaw?”

“No,” he yawned loudly. “Why? Is he missin'?”

“Well, it isn't like him to show up late for breakfast,” Firo noted, and Luck saw that Ennis's expression was becoming more and more terrified.

“Maybe he's sick or something,” Miria suggested.

“We should go looking for him, see if he needs medicine!” Isaac added, and Miria nodded.

“I'll go too,” Luck volunteered, since he didn't have anything better to do. “I'll check his room. Isaac and Miria can check this floor, and Firo and Ennis can check the second floor.” He didn't wait to see if it was okay, just turned on his heel and walked out briskly, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

Had someone really balked and committed murder? Or was Czeslaw just sick from fear? He had seemed terrified on that first day, and Luck knew all too well the effects that stress had on the human body.

Reaching Czeslaw's door, which was only a few doors down from his room, Luck lifted his hand and rang the bell. “Czeslaw?” He called. Upon receiving no answer, Luck pressed down on the door handle, and was surprised to find it unlocked. Czeslaw was _not_ the kind of person to leave his door unlocked. That was unsettling.

Stepping into the room, Luck's eyes widened as he took in his surroundings. Things were strewn all over the place; clothes, other items. The dresser and table had been overturned, and there were deep grooves in the wall that looked like they'd been made by a knife of some sort. Luck called the boy's name once more as he ventured towards the bathroom. The handle to the door had been almost completely taken off, and Luck nudged the door open.

It was dark, but the light from the room was enough to illuminate the body lying on the bathroom floor. There lied Czeslaw Meyer, his eyes still wide open in fear and terror, blood pooled on the floor and wall from where he'd been stabbed in the arm. The bruises on his neck suggested that he'd been strangled, and Luck blinked slowly.

“Oh, Czeslaw...” he whispered softly, and suddenly there was another person at his side.

“What's—oh, poor kid...” It was Claire, and Luck's head whipped around to look at him. He had an expression of pity on his face, and he was followed by none other than Ennis, who pushed past them, and then fell to her knees, letting out a loud wail.

“Ding, dong, dong, ding! A body has been found!” Fermet's voice called cheerfully from over the intercom. “Alright, students, please make your way to the gym for announcements on the killer's graduation ceremony!”

As Luck stood still in silent shock and horror, he didn't know at the time that their life of mutual killing had only just begun.

[ **Alive:** 20 out of 21

 **Dead:** Czeslaw Meyer]

 

 


	4. A Game of Life or Death

Although there was much protest, all of the remaining immortals gathered in the gym at the behest of Fermet. There were many sad, horrified, frightened, and shaken expressions all around as they all wondered what was going to happen.

Suddenly, on top of the podium on the stage, Fermet appeared. “Yahoo, looks like you're all here? I guess I'll get straight to business, then.”

“You killed him, didn't you?” Ennis growled darkly, her face downturned, nails digging into her palms. “You killed him, you killed Czeslaw!”

“Now why would I do that, and ruin the whole purpose of the school?” Fermet cooed, tilting his head. “Oh no, I assure you, the killer is one of you.”

“No!” Ennis cried out, and she lunged forward. Firo managed to catch her and hold her back before she could get to Fermet. She struggled against him for a few moments, but her attempts weren't serious, and she went limp against him.

“Most definitely, the murderer is one of you gathered here right now.” Grinning cheerfully, he pointed at the group. “And it's up to you to figure out who! That's right, you all are going to play detective in your very own murder mystery!”

“You mean, we gotta figure out who the killer is?” Nice asked, and Jacuzzi burst into hysterics beside her.

“O-oh, I don't think I can d-do this, Nice!” He cried.

“That's right, you have to find out who the killer is, or you all bite the dust! It's a part of the supplemental rules regarding graduation.”

“Are you referring to the rule that states that you must not get caught as the culprit after committing a murder?” Maiza asked, looking down at the electronic handbook.

“Yep, that's the one! After a set period of time, in which you conduct your investigation, you'll hold a classroom trial, where you decide who the culprit is. If you get it right, the culprit gets punished for disturbing the peace. If you get it wrong, then everyone but the culprit gets punished and the culprit gets to graduate!”

“What do you mean by “punished”?” Eve asked, her voice and body trembling.

“Well, to put it simply: execution!” Fermet clasped his hands together happily.

“Execution? L-like...death?” Jacuzzi squeaked.

“What other kind of execution _is_ there, my dear boy?” Fermet cooed. “Yes, I mean death. Lethal injection, electric chair, hanging, firing squad, anything that'll end with you taking a permanent dirt nap!”

“So if we don't get the culprit right, we'll all be executed?” Huey asked, putting one hand to his chin thoughtfully. Fermet nodded in response, and Berga clenched his fists.

“That's idiotic! None of us are exactly detectives, y'know!”

“Oh, I know that very well, but that isn't my problem, now is it?” Fermet said simply, kicking his legs. “Anyway, you now have four hours to conduct your investigation. After that, the first classroom trial will commence!” Before anyone could protest, Fermet had disappeared once more, leaving most of them utterly bewildered.

“W-w-what are we g-gonna do?” Jacuzzi whimpered, his hands clasped together in front of him as he shook. “H-how would we even st-start?”

“Oh, how exciting! We're trapped in our own murder mystery and we've already been given our first clues!” Graham chirped from where he sat on the floor, his electronic handbook in his hand. “There's a new tab in the handbook!”

“I don't really think it's time for that right now,” Sylvie said through gritted teeth, but Maiza added in from beside her;

“He's right, and I think they're important.” Taking out his own handbook, Luck turned it on and looked at the starting screen. There was, indeed, a new tab; “Fermet's Murder Files”. Tapping on the screen with his finger, it took him to a page with Czeslaw's picture, full name, and the estimated time and circumstances of his death.

“Hmm...it says the estimated time of death is around two A.M.” Claire stated. “That mean's someone was snoopin' around durin' the nighttime hours.”

“Look at what it says below that,” Huey said, his golden eyes moving from the screen to the other assembled immortals' faces. “Czeslaw Meyer was found dead in none other than Firo Prochainezo's private bathroom.” All eyes were on the camorrista now, and Firo's eyes went wide as he put up his hands defensively.

“N-no, t-that's...it's not what it looks like, I swear it on my life!” He protested. “Czes and I, we...we switched rooms just for that one night! I slept in Czes's room last night an' he slept in mine!”

“Why did you switch rooms?” Huey asked. “And why were we not informed of the switch?”

“Because he came in right before nighttime hours. Said he'd been in his room and tha' door had started ta' shake an' rattle, an' he got freaked out. It stopped and he ran ta' my room as fast as he could, terrified tha' someone was comin' to get 'em. I said I'd switch rooms with 'em, since I figured I could take on whateva' had come for 'em. I told 'em not to open the door for nobody and we switched keys...I swear, I'd neva' lay a hand on Czes! He's like my baby brother!” Firo said all of this quickly, and without taking many breaths, and by the end he was panting and shaking a bit. “You believe me, don't ya'?”

“I cannot condemn you right away,” Huey started to say, turning on his heel. “But, then again, I have yet to conduct my investigation. Once I have done so, you'll see what I have to think in the classroom trial.” He started to walk off, only pausing to bark over his shoulder; “Chane, come. ...Yes, you can bring Claire with you.” He continued on, and Chane paused to scribble something on her notepad, tearing off the paper and giving it to Firo. By craning over his shoulder, Luck could see the words written on it;

_You are Claire's friend, and therefore, I believe in your innocence._

“Of course we believe in you, Firo!” Isaac shouted from beside him, throwing an arm around Firo's shoulders. Miria jumped up beside him, also putting an arm around Firo's shoulders.

“Yeah, we believe in you!”

“We know you'd never hurt Czes, even if your life depended on it!”

“Mhm!”

Firo smiled faintly, and Luck tapped at the brim of his hat. “Hey, I know _you_ believe in me, Luck.” He said, a faint light coming back to his eyes as he did. He then turned to Ennis, who was sitting on the floor with her knees tucked up to her chest. “Ennis...” She just shook her head, curling her hands into fists.

“I...I don't know what to think, right now, Firo. I'm very sorry.”

“Don't be, I don't blame ya'.” He offered her a hand, and Ennis took it, standing shakily beside Firo. They, along with Maiza and Sylvie, were the only ones left in the gym now; Ladd had taken the excitable Graham, Lua, and Shaft with him to search, Keith and Berga had gone off on their own, and Jacuzzi and Nice had gone with Dallas and Eve.

“Well...shall we begin our investigation?” Luck asked, and after wiping her eyes on her sleeve, Ennis nodded strongly.

_The Investigation of Czeslaw Meyer's Death (Luck Gandor & Huey/Chane Laforet)_

  * _**Strange symbols written on the wall behind the body; when flipped 180 degrees, they read L.K. Initials? (Luck)**_

  * _**Stab wound on the arm; not the killing blow (Luck)**_



  * _**Strangulation marks; cause of death (Luck)**_

  * _**Torn dress sleeve found on the floor in front of the incinerator, covered in blood (Huey)**_

  * _**Etchings of a note written on the notepad on Czeslaw's room (Chane)**_

  * _**Door was fitted improperly, leaving the culprit to be forced to unscrew the handle to get into the bathroom (Huey)**_




Luck looked down at the notepad that he held in his hands, furrowing his eyebrows. He didn't get it. He didn't have the slightest clue in his head of who the culprit could be, and it bothered him greatly. If they didn't get it right, if they chose the wrong person...it was the end for all of them. And the classroom trial would begin—

“Your attention please! Your attention please!” Fermet's face appeared on the T.V screens that had been placed around the building, and Luck jumped at the sound of his voice. “The classroom trial is about to begin! Please proceed to the red door adjacent to the cafeteria door on the bottom floor!”

When Luck finally arrived at the room that the door led to, he found the others already inside waiting for him. The inside looked like an old-timey elevator, and Maiza turned to him, arms crossed.

“There you are, we've all been waiting for you.”

“Sorry to have kept you waiting,” Luck muttered, leaning against one of the walls as the elevator started to move, taking them down into what he assumed would be the trial room. Once they finally stopped, and the doors opened, Luck noticed that it was, indeed the trial room. There were twenty-one stands arranged in a circle around the rooms. One of them had a picture on a stand behind it; it was Czeslaw's, a red X painted over his face. Fermet was sitting on the judge's chair at the front of the room and, noticing the immortals' confused faces, said;

“What, do you think it would be fair to leave him out just because he's dead? No, he'll join in the fun with the rest of you. At least, spiritually. Well, it's time to present your findings, and show what you're made of!”

_The first classroom trial has begun!_


	5. The Murder Trial of Czeslaw Meyer

All twenty remaining immortals stood behind a stand, looking around, confused and nervous.

“How...how do we even start?” Eve asked, wringing her hands nervously.

“Let's start with the murder weapon,” Shaft suggested, looking down at his electronic handbook. “It says he died from strangulation, but he also got stabbed.”

“There wasn't a knife in Czeslaw's room,” Ennis said. “Perhaps whoever has the knife is the one who killed him?”

“He was killed with a kitchen knife, though,” Luck pointed out. “Not a regular, personal knife. Perhaps, then, it'd have to be someone who visited the kitchen and took a knife.”

“Well, come to think of it, there was one person who visited the kitchen last night,” Eve murmured softly.

“Why didn't you say that first?” Berga snapped, and Eve looked down.

“W-well...because he's dead now. The person who took the knife was Czeslaw himself.” This statement earned her a few shocked gasps.

“How do you know this?” Huey asked her, and Eve looked down a bit bashfully.

“I was kind of scared last night, so I more or less forced Dallas into going down to the cafeteria and having some tea and cookies with me. While we were there, Czes came down. He...he looked surprised to see us there, but he didn't say anything. Just took the knife and left.”

“Mm...I see. Still, it isn't enough to clear Firo of all suspicions just yet,” Huey added, and Firo, who'd been strangely quiet the whole time, shuffled his feet. “However, there is an important detail that is being overlooked: the door.”

“Yeah, wasn't the door handle taken off?” Maiza mused, putting a finger to his mouth thoughtfully.

“The culprit must have taken the door handle off because Czeslaw locked the door when he ran into the bathroom!” Graham exclaimed excitedly, leaning on his stand.

“You're wrong,” Luck said suddenly, and the blonde turned to him.

“Huh? How'm I wrong?” He asked.

“The bathroom doors don't have locks,” Luck pointed out. “You'd know that if you read the student handbook in its entirety.”

“Ah, but that's so much wasted time,” the blonde moaned, splaying over his stand like a cat.

“It is important when your life is on the line,” Luck growled.

“Well, then why did the culprit take off the handle if they didn't have to?” Ennis asked.

“My door was fitted improperly,” Firo pointed out. “Ta' get it open, ya' have ta' push down on tha' handle an' pull up on tha' door. But...only me and Czes knew about that.”

“So it could still be anyone,” Huey mused, curling a raven lock around his finger.

“Oh n-no, w-we'll never figure it out!” Jacuzzi cried, putting his hands on the side of his head. “Th-then we'll all die!”

“We still haven't addressed everything yet,” Huey said again, continuing to curl the hair around his finger. “It is true that the murder weapon was taken by Meyer himself, then taken from him and used to kill him by the culprit. We can assume that, when he realized the tables had turned, he hid in the bathroom. Since the culprit was not aware of the improperly fitted door, they would have taken the door handle off to get to their trapped target.” Huey paused, looking over at Graham, who was still splayed over his stand. “Couldn't you have removed the handle, Graham?”

“Of course I could have,” Graham drawled. “But did you see how sloppily it was taken apart? Whoever did it had the absolute minimal knowledge of what he was doing, whereas I am a professional.” Graham pointed to himself proudly. “I wouldn't dare have destroyed it in such a manner.”

“It's eccentric, but I believe him,” Maiza said. “Knowing his habits, I'd be surprised if he was lying.”

“Let us continue, then,” Huey stated. “There is a crucial piece of evidence that needs to be shown—Chane?” He nodded towards his daughter, and from her pocket Chane produced a piece of paper. Graphite had been smeared across it, revealing the white etchings of a letter. “This was written by Czeslaw. We found it in the room; he pressed down too hard with the pen he used and left marks on the paper underneath.” The note itself read:

_Please come to my room tonight, around one o' clock. There is something important that I must show you._

_-Czeslaw Meyer_

“W-what?” Firo sputtered, eyes wide with shock. “No...no, tha's not right...”

“This is Meyer's handwriting, correct?” Huey asked.

“Y-yeah...I'd recognize it anywhere but...but...” Firo trailed off, biting his lip. “I don't understand...tha' kid was _scared_ outta his mind...”

“Hasn't it become obvious yet, or are you simply too naive?” Huey frowned, setting the note down. “Czeslaw wasn't afraid of some menace coming to get him. What Czeslaw _was_ afraid of was being trapped inside of a school with Fermet, and he wanted desperately to escape. He knew the only way was to kill someone, but he himself didn't want to die.” Huey's eyes grew cold as they narrowed. “Czeslaw Meyer using you. He knew that you would go along with whatever he said. He wanted to frame you.”

“No, tha' ain't—”

“Look at all of the evidence supporting it,” Huey interjected. “If he wasn't trying to frame you, why would he have written the note? And why would the nameplates on your rooms have been switched?”

“...!” Firo's eyes widened, and he took a step back. “N-nameplates?”

“Yes. I noticed it when I first went to investigate. The nameplates on the doors didn't match the rooms on the electronic handbook,” Huey explained. “The nameplates had been switched so that whomever Czeslaw was trying to kill would have come to Firo's room instead of Czeslaw's, where Firo would have been waiting.”

“And the only one who could have done it was Czeslaw,” Luck murmured, the severity of the situation finally starting to get to him. “Unless...you didn't do it, did you, Firo?”

“No...I didn't...” Firo was staring blankly down at his stand, and Ennis was shaking beside him. They were in shock, and Luck didn't blame them. Although he couldn't say he hadn't expected someone to kill, Luck didn't expect Czeslaw to be the one who set everything in motion. And now, his killer was standing amongst them, and they didn't have much time to figure out who it was.

“That _still_ doesn't tell us who the killer is,” Maiza said from his stand. “It could still be anybody, since Czeslaw didn't address anyone in his letter.”

“It's a shame,” the soft, quiet voice of Lua finally spoke, lowering her head a bit. “There don't seem to be any more clues...”

“You're wrong!” Luck shot back at her, and she looked back over at him. From beside her, her menacing fiance bristled, but Luck continued on with what he had to say. “There were some symbols written on the wall behind Czeslaw. From the position he was in, and the position they were in, we can assume he was lying on the floor where he died when he wrote it. When they were flipped a certain way, they read L.K. Aren't those your initials...Lua Klein?”

_[To be continued?]_


	6. The Murder Trial of Czeslaw Meyer: Part II

“Aren't those your initials...Lua Klein?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the woman in question inhaled sharply, but her expression, emotionless as it was, remained the same. From beside her, Ladd went to defend her, but she put up one hand and spoke in the same soft, quiet voice that sounded like the wind might carry it away at any moment;

“Oh? You believe I am the killer, then?” She asked, folding her hands in front of her. “While I admit, the initials are mine, it is possible that Czeslaw simply wanted to incriminate someone random for his unfortunate death. A cover, perhaps, if someone he trusted were to attack him?” Her eyes moved slowly from Maiza and Sylvie to Firo and Ennis, then blinked heavily. “I am not Czeslaw's killer.”

“Well, if you didn't kill Czeslaw, then please explain why you attempted to destroy the evidence,” Huey countered coolly, his eyes steady and unblinking like a cat on the prowl.

“Evidence? What evidence?” Lua asked, her fingers knotting together. Fermet, who had been eating an apple, was now at full attention, sitting on the very edge of his seat.

“There was a torn dress sleeve found in front of the incinerator, covered in blood,” Huey replied nonchalantly. “And you were the only one with a key to the incinerator, am I correct?” Hesitantly, Lua nodded. “No one else could have gotten in there. I assume that you put the dress inside, but didn't realize a part of the sleeve had been hanging out. As the dress burned, the sleeve fell out, becoming a piece of incriminating evidence against you.” Lua stiffened, starting to realize that the walls were closing in on her.

“Still, how are you certain that was Czeslaw's blood? It could have been my own or someone else's.”

“It is true, we have no real way of knowing whether or not it was indeed our victim's blood,” Huey admitted. “However, if the dress was harmless, then why did you attempt to burn it? I know someone like you must have a talent with removing blood from clothing, as tricky as that is.” Lua's eyes narrowed.

“That's still only circumstantial evidence, and I doubt you can convince anyone with that,” she scoffed, her voice becoming uncharacteristically dark. “Unless you can give me something real, then we'll have to continue.”

“The toolkit,” Luck spoke again, looking up from the top of his desk. “Everyone was given a toolkit in their rooms. An amateur couldn't have taken it apart with their bare hands, they would have needed something to get into the door, considering they didn't know about the faulty door. The only thing they could have used was the toolkit.”

“Are you suggesting that _I_ used the toolkit?” Her calm facade finally snapped, and her eyes went wide. “That's idiotic, I don't even know how to _use_ tools!”

“That much was obvious from the door,” Ennis muttered under her breath, her eyes now fully trained on the despairing woman.

“The evidence is against you Lua. Unless you can give us proof that your toolkit was not used, then and only then will we believe you. So, Lua—show us your toolkit.” She froze, her hands tangled in her hair as she looked over in Luck's direction, then slowly over to Huey as he spoke;

“Just so you know, 'I lost it' is not a valid excuse.”

The room was silent for a moment as Lua stood there. Luck could hear his own heart beating in his ears, and then Fermet twirled a toy gravel in his hands.

“Well, it looks like we've about wrapped this up! Alright, you bastards, please cast your votes using the buttons in front of you!” He said cheerfully.

As the votes were cast, a small lottery-type register popped up, the faces of all twenty-one immortals spinning on it. Slowly, the three screens lined up to view Lua's face, and a few lights flashed as flowers and confetti spilled down.

“Yahoo!” Fermet cheered, all too entirely excited for what was about to go down. “You all are right! The one who killed Czeslaw Meyer in this case is none other than Lua Klein!”

“Lua...” Firo's voice was light, like he couldn't believe it. “But...why? What'd Czeslaw ever do ta' you!?”

“It was self-defense,” she replied numbly, her voice dark and heavy as she stared blankly at her stand. “Czeslaw tried to kill me. I did what I had to do. It was either me or him...” Lua trailed off, her eyes slowly looking back up. “But now...I'm going to die, anyway, aren't I?” She laughed, but it was void of any real emotion. Ladd's head whipped around to Fermet, his eyes and voice frantic;

“No! You _can't_ , you bastard, she's _mine_ to kill! _Mine!_ ” He snarled.

“Nobody's stopping you from killing her now,” Huey pointed out, running a hand through his raven locks. “Just keep in mind, if you do, you'll have no chance of escaping. You'll be executed, yourself.” Ladd's breathing came in heavy, ragged gasps through his teeth, as his eyes flickered from Lua to Fermet. He couldn't make a decision, but Fermet would make it for him.

“Well, I'm just about finished with all of this waiting, though the despair I'm feeling is simply divine!” A blush spread across his face as he gripped at his chest, shivering with delight. “Too much more and I just might bust...! Oh well, I think it's time for Punishment Time!” Lua's head snapped up, her eyes wide as the weight of exactly what was going to happen came down on her shoulders.

“This time, I've prepared a very special punishment for Lua Klein, our Super High School Level Puzzle-maker!” Fermet slammed down on the red button in front of him with the toy gravel, dooming Lua to her fate.

**Lua Klein has been found guilty!**

**Time for her punishment...**

_The courtroom had disappeared, and Lua was standing in the middle of a field. Behind her, a gallows sprung up from the ground, none other than Fermet standing at the switch that would operate it. It was for her._

_THE FIRST WOMAN'S HANGING_

_Chains dragged her feet towards the gallows, and she had no choice but to walk up it. The noose slipped around her neck, and she clutched her hands in front of her, sweating as she closed her eyes. Her legs shook as she stood on top of the trapdoor, heart pounding._

_Fermet held up his fingers._

_Three!_

_His hand pressed down onto the switch._

_Two!_

_She opened her eyes and looked towards the sky._

_One!_

_Fermet pushed the switch. The trapdoor opened._

_A crack echoed through the clearing, and Lua Klein's lifeless body swung from the gallows as vultures circled overhead._

Horror was written across almost all of the nineteen living immortals' faces as they were forced to watch the brutal scene.

“What...what _is_ this?” Jacuzzi gasped, trembling as he clung to Nice. Eve had collapsed onto her knees in a fit, crying into her hands.

“I—I don't think I can take this!”

“It'll be okay,” Luck assured her, and Dallas looked up at him from where he crouched beside Eve, having put his hands over her eyes while the execution went on. “I'll help protect you. As long as you don't kill anyone, I'm on your side.”

Numbly, the immortals stood, listening to Fermet's crazed laughter echo throughout the arena.

[ **Alive:** 19 out of 21

 **Dead:** Czeslaw Meyer, Lua Klein]


End file.
